Tag: Upper levels

In this month’s episode of #offthecuff, a learning English podcast, we talk about experiences from #Vitoria #Madrid #Mexico where we thought people should have spoken up about what they saw instead of just being a #bystander. This July 2021 episode is full of vocabulary so check it with subtitles. A learning English podcast is a great way to learn using authentic conversations.

Vocabulary and Phrases from the first 3 minutes

• Cat fight – an intense argument or physical fight usually between two women.
  • Yesterday two young girls for into a cat fight right in front of my house and I tried to stop them.
• Shame on you – used to tell someone that they should be ashamed (embarrassed) of their behavior.
  • Shame on you for not helping that older woman with her groceries when her bad broke.
• Two steps forward one leap back – used to express that we are evolving by moving forward in society but then we go backward and seem to lose some things that we have learned.
  • I feel like I took two giant steps forward with my English but then COVID hit and not I have taken a leap back.
• Build up – a gradual increase of something
  • I haven’t told her how I feel yet, so my anger seems to just be building up and I am worried I may explode.
• Excuse – A reason you give to explain why you have done something wrong.
  • They decided to fire him because he kept giving them one excuse after another and were fed up.
• Peer pressure – a strong influence of a group of people who are similar to you in age or social circle, who want everyone to act as they do.
  • There is too much peer pressure on young girls to have the same hair style, clothes and body that many of them end up having some real problems with self-esteem.
• Bullying – the behavior of a person who hurts or frightens someone smaller or less powerful, often making them do something they do not want to do.
  • Bullying has always been a problem but today kids also have to deal with online bullying which adds even more pressure.
• Bully – the person who does the bullying
  • In many cases, the kids who are the bullies often come from unstable situations at home.

Vocabulary and phrases from the minute 3 – 5

• To stand up to someone – to deal with someone in an effective manner.
  • They are trying to teach young kids to stand up to bullies.
• Lynching – the act of killing someone without a legal trial, usually by hanging them. In the context of the podcast. Clare was using this expression to say that people publicly attack people for no reason.
  • They gave him a real lynching even though they weren’t sure he was the one who committed the crime.
• Clip on the ear – a quick hit on the side of one’s head.
  • In the past, it was quite normal for a parent to give their children a clip on the ear. Today it is not so common.
• Instilling values –to put a value or principle gradually into someone’s mind, so that it has a strong influence on the way that person thinks or behaves.
  • We try to instill values such as community and bonds between people in our children instead of technology.
• Name and shame – a phrase used to say that someone should be called out for what they are doing and shamed for their bad behavior.
  • I saw someone stealing a wallet so I said in a loud voice, ‘That man is stealing your wallet’ . That way we could name and shame for doing it.

Vocabulary and phrases from minute 5 – the end

• Bystanders/Onlookers – someone who is standing by watching something take place but does not take part in it.
  • As the police began to hit the man on the ground the bystanders just watched or took videos.
  • There were many onlookers for the street performers, but in the end no one gave them any money.
• Calling someone out – when someone says out loud that someone is doing something wrong.
  • Janet and her boyfriend were fighting and she called him out about every lie he ever told her.
• One bad apple spoils the bunch – people use this to refer to a situation where they believe one person’s negative demeanor or bad behavior can affect a whole group of people, influencing them to have a similar negative attitude or to engage in the same bad behavior.
  • Everything was fine until Jimmy came and then everyone was running around screaming. Well, you know what they say, one bad apple spoils the bunch.  
• Down with …! – something you say, write or shout to show your opposition to someone or something.
  • Jenny always used to say ‘Down with love!’ but now she’s about to be married and is as happy as ever.
• Feeble – weak, without energy, strength or power
  • I think the opposition party needs a stronger response to the new amendment than the feeble one they gave last night. 

If you enjoyed this month’s A learning English Podcast, check out other episodes

In Episode 10 of off the cuff, A Learning English podcast, Clare and Annie talk about #Ronaldo #UEFA #football #CocaCola and the topic of influencers. How much influence should they really have on us and on things like #LGBTQ rights? Find vocabulary and transcripts below. This Learning English podcast is a way to learn using authentic conversations.

Vocabulary from Episode 10

Vocabulary from minute 0:00 – 3:20

• What’s on the menu today – this is a fun way of asking what the topic of the show is today. You can use it in any situation where there is a planned schedule, although it may not always be appropriate for work settings. In the example below, we want to know what the activities for the day are.
  • I know you’ve been planning this trip for months, so what’s on the menu today?
• Obscure – not known by many people. In this case, Annie is being sarcastic, since football is well-known all over the world, particularly in Spain, where they currently reside.
  • I forgot the name of the island they are visiting. It’s some obscure place off the coast.
• To be glued to your television – If someone is glued to their television, it means that they are very attentive to what is happening on TV.
  • I don’t watch much TV, but when the Olympics are on, I am just glued to the TV.
• Crap load – this is a way to express a large quantity of something but in a way that shows your disapproval of the amount.
  • Those kids have a crap load of toys and yet they’re always bored.
• 31 million – 31,000,000
  • I do not make 31 million euros a year.
• to get/take a hit from something – this is used to say that you will be negatively impacted by what happened.
  • The economy took a huge hit from COVID.
• to be down something, usually money – having less than you expected or usually have.
  • I lost a bet and now I’m down 100 euros.
• to get wind of a something – to find out about something, especially a secret.
  • I don’t want my boss to get wind of my new job.

Vocabulary from minute 3:20

• LGBTQ – Acronym used for referring to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer people.
  • Pride month is celebrated in order to acknowledge and support the LGBTQ community.
• Paedophiles – People who are sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children.
  • There is a controversial online website where you can see if there is a registered paedophile living near your home.
• God forbid – This expression is usually used to show sarcasm as Clare is doing here in the podcast. We usually use this expression to show that we think the other person is overreacting or wrong.
  • God forbid I come into work 2 minutes late because I was stuck in traffic!
• UEFA – acronym for Union of European Football Association.
  • UEFA decided not to punish the German player who showed his support for the LGBTQ community.
• get down on two knees – here Clare is referencing the players who supported Black Lives Matter by kneeling down on one knee. Since players may not be able to wear any kind of arm bands for Gay Pride, getting down on two knees could be an alternative. She is showing irony that one thing is ok, but not the other.

To find out more about the topics discussed today, you can find them at the following links:
NYT: Munich Wanted to Light Its Stadium in a Pride Rainbow. European Soccer Said No.
The Guardian: Hungary passes law banning LGBT content in schools or kids’ TV
Business Standard: Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo knocks off $4 billion from Coca-Cola’s value

Listen to other off the cuff: A Learning English Podcast

off the cuff Episode 9
off the cuff Episode 8

The spring has come
The flowers’s ris
I wonder where the birdies is
The people say they’re on the wing
But that’s absurd
I always thought the wing was always on the bird.

VOCABULARY

• On the wing – migrating
• Sesame Street – Barrio Sesamo
• Calving  – referring to spring time when cows give birth to
• Lambing  –  the time in spring when sheep give birth to lambs calves.
• Kooky – Strange
• To set on fire – to cause something or someone to start burning
• Fatalities –  a death caused by accident or on purpose
• Sechseläuten (Switzerland Spring festival)  – a Swiss spring festival where they burn a stuffed snowman to highlight the beginning of spring. Learn more here: https://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/sechselaeuten
• Hollowed out – to make an empty apace inside something
• Polish decorative eggs – https://lamusdworski.wordpress.com/2016/03/13/pisanki/
• Mass – a religious ceremony that often takes place in a church.
• The Stations of the Cross – a series of 14 pictures showing the last days of the life of Jesus Christ which are put up on the walls inside many Roman Catholic Churches. To do the Stations of the Cross, the story about the 14 pictures was told during a mass.
• Good Friday –  The Friday before Easter Sunday
• Black Friday – In Ireland, people would call Good Friday, ‘Black Friday’ since they were not allowed to drink and bars were closed.  
• Nonsensical  –  an action or behavior that is not logical 
• Take precedent over – to be more important than something else
• Economically sound – to not waste money, to be economically good for someone or something
• To have a black cloud over your head – an idiom to express irritation, disturbance or feelings of misfortune
• Guilt – a feeling of worry or unhappiness that you have because you have done something wrong
• Easter lily – a flower (cala in Spanish) that was worn on Easter day to commemorate those that died during the 1916 uprising in Ireland. Learn more here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Lily_(badge)
• Stickies – people who wore stickers (pegatinas) to represent themselves as part of the Sinn Féin political party. Learn more here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Lily_(badge)#%22Stickies%22_versus_%22Pinheads%22
• Sinn Féin – In Irish, Sinn Féin means ‘We Ourselves’ or ‘Ourselves Alone’. They are a left wing political party in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland who strive to end the political partition of the island of Ireland. Learn more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinn_F%C3%A9in#:~:text=Sinn%20F%C3%A9in%20(%2F%CA%83%C9%AAn,of%20Ireland%20and%20Northern%20Ireland.
• In favor of – in support of
• Pin – a small thin piece of metal with a point at one end, especially used to hold something temporarily in place
• 1916 uprising – Also known as the Easter Rising or Easter Rebellion – a six day battle where the Irish Republicans aimed to establish an independent Irish Republic against the British rule. Learn more here   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising  
• Politicized – to make something or someone political
• Explicit – clear and exact
• Cimburijada – Bosnian spring celebration – Bosnians in Zeneca share scrambled eggs by the river to celebrate new life. Learn more here: https://www.sarajevotimes.com/traditional-cimburijada-in-zenica-marked-the-first-day-of-spring/  
• That wraps it up – to finish something successfully

Vocabulary

Staycation – a holiday that you take at home or near your home
rest – relax
to turn out that way – to end up as
offspring – children
exotic – different and interesting
tick things off – mark down that you have completed a task or visited a place on your list
there’s a lot to be said for… – it’s a good idea with good reasons
day outings – a day trip
it all makes sense – everything is clear
overwhelming – large or strong feeling
apps – applications
shades of tan – different colors of skin after being in the sun

‘Off the cuff’ is a common expression meaning to improvise or to do something in an unprepared manner. The meaning comes from journalists or even actors who wrote down short notes on their cuffs (puños), later having to improvise on what they had written.

Vocabulary

Locked up – to be in jail
Lockdown – a temporary situation imposed by the government where the population must stay at home and/or limit activities outside your home for public safety.
Face to Face – in person, commonly written as f2f
Roller-coaster – Montaña Rusa – in the context here, it’s used to say there have been a lot of emotional ‘ups and downs’
A state of shock – an upsetting feeling due to an unexpected situation
To climb the walls – to feel anxious or frustrated because you want to do something but can’t or because you have lots of energy but can’t do anything with that energy.
Up-skill – to acquire more advanced skills in a specific area   
Tele-working – working from home or from another location through the internet
Hybrid learning – learning using a mix of face to face and on-line classes
Hybrid working – working partially from home and in the office
The silver lining – comes from the expression ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ meaning that there is always a positive side (the sun coming out behind the storm cloud) to every bad situation
To have teething problems – having problems when starting something new – comes from babies who have problems when their teeth come in
To be ‘techno’ – to be good with technology
Furlough – to temporarily lose your job (erte)
To let someone go – to fire them 
Quarentini – comes from quarantine and martini- refers to a mixed drink you have while on lockdown
To get locked – a colloquial Irish expression to say you have consumed too much alcohol ex: He got locked last weekend drinking too many quarentinies!